A second biotech firm has expressed interested in moving to the property, which is in Clifton and Nutley along Route 3, officials said.

The ultimate plan

It is imperative that Clifton and Nutley share Prism's vision, Diaz said, which is to create a multi-use, self-sustaining community on the rest of the property.

The next generation of workers, unlike their 9-to-5 boomer parents, work later and continue their creative efforts outside the office. Millennials, Diaz said, want to live, work and recreate in one space. Clifton and Nutley may want a hub of high-tech, well-paying businesses, but Diaz said that's not enough.

"Why did Roche decide to move to San Francisco?" he asked, then answered: "because in part it was a better lifestyle."

If the right blend of lifestyle and work are not found, businesses, Diaz said, could just as easily "choose Parsippany."

Throughout the region, millennials and the employers seeking to attract them want office environments with an urban feel, even if that means creating a mini-downtown within a suburban office park by adding walkways, restaurants and housing.

In their evolution from the 1980s, the office buildings that “can create that exciting type of environment in the suburbs will be the winners,” noted Rutgers Professor James Hughes, dean emeritus of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and an expert on demographics and economic trends.

Good neighbors

ON3, Hatala said, has been a great neighbor by investing in efforts to unsnarl traffic on Bloomfield Avenue. It has attracted companies that offer jobs that provide living wages, and has shared Clifton's vision to reinvent the site without turning to retail or housing.

Hatala and Mayor James Anzaldi said Prism has delivered so far. Clifton, for its part, has worked with the developers to help them navigate local zoning.

Hatala said he has seen the plans for the hotels and they are "breathtaking."

"They have done a lot of groundwork." Hatala said. "They have a lot planned out."

City Manager Nick Villano, who also sits on the Planning Board, said it may take some time for hotel plans to clear the planning process.

Site history

Prism purchased the site a few years after Roche, a pharmaceutical giant, announced that it would relocate its business out of New Jersey.

Roche, which began winding down operations in 2012, provided 8,000 to 10,000 jobs in its heyday.

Not only has the region lost those jobs, but Clifton and Nutley lost almost $15 million in tax ratables — $5 million for Clifton and more than $9 million for Nutley.

Things began to turn around when Prism Capital Partners of Bloomfield bought the site in 2016. Since then, it has been working to reinvent the campus with the moniker ON3 and to create a synergy among like-minded businesses geared toward life sciences.